Packing insert for disc-shaped objects

ABSTRACT

A described packing insert for disc-shaped objects has a ring and a deformable contacting portion supported by the ring and extending from a circumference of the ring. The contacting portion has one or more solid portions extending from the circumference. The solid portions define a plurality of radially arranged members separated by a plurality of void regions, where the solid portions extend radially from a circumference of the ring.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to the field of packing disc-shapedobjects and more particularly, to inserts for packing disc-shapedobjects.

BACKGROUND

Typically, integrated circuits are manufactured from semiconductorwafers that are conventionally round in shape and made of thin, brittlesubstrates. Additionally, wafers may be lapped, resulting in furtherthinning of the wafers. Traditionally, during the processing, storage,and shipping of semiconductor wafers the wafers are supported andconstrained at their edges to prevent any contact and possible damageand contamination to the faces of the wafers having the circuitsthereon. The trend towards larger, more dense and thinner wafers, hasresulted in the wafers becoming more valuable, more brittle, more easilydamaged during shipment. Although it is possible to ship thicker wafersin enclosed containers that would support the wafers exclusively bytheir edges, using such devices to ship these thinner wafers has provenproblematic due to breakage and damage of the wafers. Thus for thesemore fragile wafers, containers are utilized in which the wafers arestacked on top of one another and separated by layers of paper-likeflexible sheet material or rigid support rings. In these “horizontal”wafer containers, each wafer is typically supported by adjacent wafers.Furthermore, foam materials, such as urethane and closed-cellpolyethylene, are commonly used to cushion the top and bottom of thestack.

Horizontal wafer containers for shipping stacks of wafers are typicallydesigned for shipment of a fixed number of wafers. As a result, when itis necessary to ship less wafers than the container was designed for,the container is typically filled with additional inserts to fill thevolume of the container and to secure the reduced number of wafers.However, this type of packing methodology can increase the usage rate ofpacking materials and thus the costs for packing the wafers.Furthermore, the resulting packing procedure is typically inefficient asa longer amount of time is necessary to determine and stack the needednumber of inserts into the container. In addition, such inserts may moveduring shipping and cause wafer damage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This Summary is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.73, requiring asummary of the invention briefly indicating the nature and substance ofthe invention. It is submitted with the understanding that it will notbe used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

In a first embodiment of the invention, A packing insert for disc-shapedobjects is provided. The packing insert can comprise a ring and adeformable contacting portion supported by the ring and extending from acircumference of the ring. The contacting portion can comprise one ormore solid portions extending from the circumference, where the solidportions defining a plurality of radially arranged members separated byplurality of void regions. The solid portions can extend radially fromthe circumference.

In a second embodiment of the invention, a containment system fordisc-shaped objects is provided. The system can comprise a containerhaving a cover and a base, the base having at least one support portionfor receiving a stack of disc-shaped objects, and the support portiondefining a container height, the cover removably attachable to the base.The system can also comprise at least one compressible packing insertfor the support portion having a variable height between a pre-definedfiller height and at least the container height. The insert can comprisea ring and a deformable contacting portion supported by the ring andextending from a circumference of the ring. The contacting portion cancomprise one or more solid portions extending from the circumference,where the solid portions define a plurality of radially arranged membersseparated by plurality of void regions and can extend radially from thecircumference. In one implementation, the containment system takes theform of a container for semiconductor wafers. The container has a base;an upwardly open hollow cylindrical structure supported on the base thatdefines a cavity with a generally planar bottom for receiving andcircumferentially restraining a stack of wafers; a cover removablyattached to the base and over the cylindrical structure to provide agenerally planar top for the cavity; and a vertically deformable packinginsert. The insert is an integrally formed polymer structure having acircular portion supported by a plurality of deformable spring-portionsabove a ring-shaped flange portion. The ring-shaped flange portion hasan inner diameter and an outer diameter dimensioned to provide agenerally planar support surface that generally matches acircumferential margin of a top or bottom surface of a wafer. Thecircular portion has an outer diameter less than an inner diameter ofthe flange portion, and is dimensioned to provide a generally planarsupport surface for contacting the cover top or cavity bottom. Thespring portions respectively extend vertically and radially inwardly atcircumferentially spaced positions between the inner diameter of theflange portion and the outer diameter of the circular portion. Theflange portion, circular portion and spring portions are dimensioned andconfigured so that the packing insert will elastically compress orexpand in a vertical direction to vertically restrain stacked waferswithin the cavity when the insert is positioned between the cover or thebase and a wafer stack of the maximum number or fewer wafers therein.

In a third embodiment of the invention, a method for packing disc-shapedobjects is provided. The method can comprise providing a container basefor receiving one or more disc-shaped objects, the base having at leastone support portion for retaining a stack of disc-shaped objects, andthe support portion defining a container height. The method can alsoinclude placing at least one disc-shaped object into the supportportion, where the remaining space in the support portion defines afiller height. The method can further include inserting the acompressible packing insert into the support portion, the packing insertcomprising a ring and a deformable contacting portion supported by thering and extending from a circumference of the ring. The contactingportion can comprise one or more solid portions extending from thecircumference and the solid portions can define a plurality of radiallyarranged members separated by plurality of void regions, where the solidportions extending radially the circumference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of components for packing disc-shapedobjects according to the various embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2A shows an exemplary arrangement of a packing insert in acontainer with disc-shaped objects prior to placement of a containercover according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B shows the result of placement of the container cover in thearrangement in FIG. 2A.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show top and cross-sectional views of a package insertaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show top and cross-sectional views of a package insertaccording to another embodiment of the present invention in anuncompressed state.

FIGS. 4C and 4D show perspective and cross-sectional views of thepackage insert in FIG. 4A in an compressed state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is described with reference to the attachedfigures, wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the figuresto designate similar or equivalent elements. The figures are not drawnto scale and they are provided merely to illustrate the instantinvention. Several aspects of the invention are described below withreference to example applications for illustration. It should beunderstood that numerous specific details, relationships, and methodsare set forth to provide a full understanding of the invention. Onehaving ordinary skill in the relevant art, however, will readilyrecognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of thespecific details or with other methods. In other instances, well-knownstructures or operations are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring theinvention. The present invention is not limited by the illustratedordering of acts or events, as some acts may occur in different ordersand/or concurrently with other acts or events. Furthermore, not allillustrated acts or events are required to implement a methodology inaccordance with the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods forpacking disc-shaped objects in a stacked or horizontal configuration.Although the various embodiments of the present invention will beillustrated in terms of packing inserts and containers for semiconductorwafers, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the presentinvention can be used for the packing of any type of disc-shapedobjects. The term “disc-shaped”, as used herein, refers to any flattenedand primarily circular-shaped object. That is, disc-shaped objects arenot limited to only solid flat circular objects, but can also includeprimarily circular-shaped objects having one or more openings, such asrings or perforated objects provided in a primarily circular shape.Additionally, the perimeter of disc-shaped objects need not have aperfectly circular perimeter. For example, disc-shaped objects caninclude semiconductor wafers with a wafer flat or orientation notches.In another example, a primarily circular object can have any type orregular or irregular pattern along its edge. Furthermore, thedisc-shaped objects need not be perfectly flat. That is, the objectsneed only be flattened such that they are capable of being stackedvertically. For example, disc-shaped objects can include any number ofobjects having one or more convex and/or concave surface portions.

As previously described, one of the main inefficiencies in the packingof disc-shaped objects is the need to provide additional insertmaterials when packing a container for disc-shaped objects with lessobjects than the container was designed for. Therefore, one aspect ofthe present invention is to provide a single packing insert that can beused to fill a container for stacking disc-shaped objects in lieu ofmultiple conventional inserts. Furthermore, to provide a single packinginsert for each container, another aspect of the present invention isthat the packing insert can be used with varying numbers of disc-shapedobjects in the container.

Therefore, the various embodiments of the present invention provide anelastically deformable packing insert for use with a container. Theelastically deformable packing insert can be configured such that uponclosing of the container using a cover or a lid, the force applied byclosing of the lid causes the packing insert to deform and conform tothe space remaining within the container. However, the inventors notethat to safely transport objects, the packing insert needs not only toconform to the empty space within the container, but also needs tostabilize the objects store therein. Therefore, another aspect of thepresent invention provides that the deformable packing insert, uponclosing of the container lid, exerts force on the disc-shaped objects inthe container and an interior surface of a container in a manner thatprevents motion of the objects during shipment. Accordingly, theinventors have discovered that a packing insert needs not only to beelastically deformable but should provide force over a sufficient areaof the disc-shaped objects and a interior surface of the containerduring shipment to prevent slippage of the packing insert, thedisc-shaped objects, or both.

A force can be provided evenly to a disc-shaped object by applying theforce evenly over the edge of the disc-shaped object and a portion of afacing inner surface of a container. An edge-based configuration canalso reduce potential damage to the disc-shaped objects by limiting theamount of contact between the packing insert and the object. This can becritical when the disc-shaped objects are sensitive to damage, as in thecase of semiconductor wafers. In contrast, the force provided over theinterior surface of the container can be provided in several ways sincecontacting the interior surface of the container is not damage inducing.The inventors have found that as the area over which force is applied tothe interior surface of the container being contacted is increased, themore stable and even the force applied to the disc-shaped objectsbecomes.

An exemplary arrangement for a packing disc-shaped objects according toan embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, acontainer base 102 can be provided for receiving the disc-shapedobjects. The container base 102 can be configured to have one or moresupport structures 103 for retaining one or more disc-shaped objects 104of a specific size. The container base 102 can be a bottom portion of asemiconductor wafer shipment box, where the support structures areconfigured for retaining a stack of wafers of a particular diameter, asshown in FIG. 1. Disc-shaped objects 104 can include not only thedisc-shaped products 106 to be shipped, but can also include anydisc-shaped cushioning objects 108 and disc-shaped separator objects 110used for packing the disc-shaped products 106. Disc-shaped separatingobjects 110 can include, by way of example and not by way of limitation,additional rigid or flexible disc-shaped cushioning and separatinginserts. The type, number, and arrangement of the disc-shaped separatingobjects 110 can vary according to the type, number, and arrangement ofdisc-shaped products 106 to be shipped. Once the disc-shaped objects 104are inserted into the base 102, a packing insert 112 can be insertedinto the base 102 and a container cover 114 can be attached to the baseto enclose the disc-shaped objects 104 and the packing insert 112.

As previously described, the placement of the cover 114 results indeformation of the packing insert 112. This is conceptually illustratedin FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 2A shows the result of placing a packing insert112 and one or more disc-shaped objects 104 in a base 102, as previouslydescribed in FIG. 1. FIG. 2B shows the result of placing and securing acontained cover 114 on the base 102. As previously described, theplacement of the cover 114, results in deformation of the packing insert112. Principally, the deformation results in a reduction of the heightof the packing insert 112 from an uncompressed height h₁, as shown inFIG. 2A, to a compressed height h₂, as shown in FIG. 2A.

In the various embodiments of the present invention, insert 112 can beconfigured to have an uncompressed height h₁ that provides at least aminimum amount of securing force onto a disc-shaped object 104, whenonly a single disc-shaped object 104 is included placed into the base102. That is, if only one disc-shaped object 104 is placed in the base102, some minimum amount of deformation of the insert 112 results uponplacement of the cover 114. This can be accomplished by configuring theinsert 112 to have a height h₁ greater than the maximum filled containerheight h_(C.MAX), as shown in FIG. 2A. That is, the total amount ofspace left in the base 102 after packing a single shipped disc-shapedobject 108. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thisamount can vary depending on the minimum amount of packing materialrequired. For example, although a cushion object 108 is shown in FIGS.2A and 2B, no cushion objects 108 or separating objects 110 may beneeded for packing a single disc-shaped object 106 of a particular type.Therefore the minimum fill container height h_(C.MAX) can be almost, ifnot equal to, the container height h_(C) (i.e. total amount of space fordisc-shaped objects 104 in the base 102). Additionally, the insert 112can also be configured to have at least a minimum compressed height h₂.That is, when the base 102 is filled to capacity, the insert 112 shouldbe compressible to a height of the remaining space. This can beaccomplished by allowing the insert to compressed to at least a heighth₂ that is equal to the minimum filled container height h_(C.MIN). Thatis, the total amount of space left in the base 102 after inserting themaximum allowed number of shipped disc-shaped objects 110 into the base.One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that this amount canvary depending on the minimum amount of packing material required, aspreviously described.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a first embodiment of a packing insert 300 forpacking disc-shaped objects. As shown in the figures, insert 300comprises a ring 302 and a plurality of members 304 supported by andextending radially from a circumference of the ring 302. A“circumference”, as used herein, refers to a circular path along thesurface of the ring during a revolution of the ring. Extending“radially”, as used herein, refers to extending in a direction having adirection component in the plane defined by the ring, where thecomponent extends in a direction from the circumference to the center ofthe ring. That is, the projection onto the plane. The members 304 canhave far or distal ends 308 of the members 304 that not only can extendradially from the ring 302, but that can have a common verticalcomponent. For example, that the members 304 can extend vertically inthe same direction with respect to the ring 302, as shown in FIG. 3B.Additionally, the members can extend from a single solid portion 305extending from the ring 302, as shown in FIG. 3B.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, the distal ends 308 are shown tohave some amount of curvature. Such a configuration can be used toprovide a smooth bearing surface between the insert 300 and a contactedinterior surface of a container when the insert 300 is being compressedand the members 304 are being deflected.

In the various embodiments of the present invention, the insert 300 canbe formed such that the members 304 can deform when pressure is appliedto them. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the members 304 can beconfigured to elastically deflect in a direction 310. That is, themembers 304 can be constructed to essentially form cantilever springsthat exert force in a direction opposite to the direction of deflection310. Accordingly, once force is no longer applied, the members 302 canreturn to their non-deflected configuration. Additionally, even thoughthe members 304 can be configured to deflect by bending any portionthereof in response to a force applied to them, in some embodiments ofthe present invention, the members 304 can be configured to bend at aspecific location. For example, seams 312 can be used to designate thepivot point for the member 304. In the case of an insert 300 constructedfrom a single type of material, a seam 312 can be formed by reducing thethickness of the material at specific locations in the insert. Forexample, a seam 312 can have a thickness that is 20% less than that ofthe remaining portion of the members 304 or other portions of the insert300. These seams 312 can result in more flexible portions of the members304 that allow the members to at least initially deform in a preferreddirection.

As previously, described, one aspect of the present invention is toprovide a packing insert that stabilizes the disc-shaped objects withina container. That is, the packing insert and/or the disc-shaped objectare designed to not slip during shipment. Accordingly, the inventorshave discovered that by providing a packing insert that distributesforce over a sufficiently large area on both sides of the packinginsert, the possibility of the packing insert slipping or dislocatingduring shipment is reduced or eliminated. Thus, in the variousembodiments of the present invention, the positions of the distal ends308 can define a contacting region 314. Normally, the size of thecontacting region 314 can vary as the members 304 deflect in a direction310, resulting in an increased probability of slippage. However, in thevarious embodiments of the present invention, the minimum size of thecontacting region 314 can be limited to prevent loss of stability. Inthe various embodiments, the size and configuration of the minimumcontacting region area 314, can be configured such that the area of thecontacting region 314, whether compressed or uncompressed is between 5%and 65% of the area defined by the ring 302. However, the inventors havefound that although the area can be reduced below 5% without generallycausing damage during shipment, an area of at least 15% aftercompression results is additional stability or support.

Because the range of resulting areas can vary, the members 304 can beconfigured to have any length and angle that results in the desiredarea. For example, to provide contact region areas that are between 5%and 65% of the area defined by the ring, the members 304 can radiallyextend between 20% and 80% of the distance to the center of the ring.That is, even if the members 304 extend at an angle, the projectedcomponent in the plane of the ring will be 20% to 80% of the distance tothe center of the ring. However, the members 304 can extend onlyvertically (with a projected component length equal to zero) or canextend completely to the center of the ring (with a projected componentlength=100% of the distance to the center of the ring). In one example,if the packing insert in FIG. 3B is configured for packing 200 mmsemiconductor wafers, by using a member length L ˜52 mm and projectingthe member 304 at a approximately 66 degrees, an uncompressed contactarea that is ˜30% of the area defined by the ring 302. As the members304 are deflected, the resulting area will not fall below 20%, ensuringstability. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that in thevarious embodiments, the length and angle of the members 304, relativeto the ring, can vary according to the desired compressed anduncompressed contact areas required. However, one of ordinary skill inthe art will recognize that as the length of the members 304 increases,the amount of compression will be reduced.

In some embodiments, the compressed contact area can be limited bylimiting the amount of deflection of the member 304. For example,increasing the stiffness of the members 304 can limit the amount ofdeflection of the member 304 s. However, in such embodiments, the numberof disc-shaped object that can be stored in a container is limited asthe compressed height of the packing insert is increased.

In addition to stabilizing the disc-shaped objects within the container,potential damage from the packing insert can also be limited. That is,in the case of disc-shaped objects that can be easily damaged, theamount of contact between the packing insert and the disc-shaped objectscan be limited. First, as previously described, only the ring portion isgenerally placed in contact with the disc-shaped object. Second, asshown in FIG. 3B, even though the members 304 can potentially fold flatand contact a disc-shaped object below, the ring 302 can have anincreased thickness or height (X) so that if even when fully deflected,the portion of the members 304 overlapping the height of rings 302 isless than the ring height (X). Accordingly, in this embodiment only theedges of the disc-shaped objects come into contact with the insert 300,and only via the ring 302.

In some embodiments, the stiffness of the members 304 can also beadjusted to account for the types of disc-shaped objects being shipped.For example, in the case of semiconductor wafers, the stiffness can belimited to prevent the packing insert from placing too much force on thewafers and resulting in breakage. However, in the case of less fragileobjects, packing inserts with greater force can be used.

In the various embodiments, the number of members can vary. However, theinventors have discovered that as the number of members is reduced, theforce of lid of a contact is distributed less evenly over the surface ofthe disc-shaped objects. In the case of more fragile disc-shapedobjects, this can result in breakage during shipments. Accordingly, theinventors have discovered that while any number of members can be used,using 8 members or more, consistently provides force evenly over thesurface of disc-shaped objects when the packing insert is compressed,resulting in fewer damaged objects.

However, the invention is not limited to providing a contacting areausing only the distal ends of members extending from a ring. In someembodiments of the present invention, a fixed size contacting surfacecan also be provided. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, apacking insert 400 can include a ring 402, a plurality of members 404,and a contacting surface 406. For insert 400, the members 404 can beused to radially support the contacting surface 406. By providing acontacting surface 406, the area being contacted on both sides can beconstant, as opposed to the varying area of the contacting region 314 inFIGS. 3A and 3B. Thus, the constant area of the contact surface 406ensures that force is provided over a minimum area to ensure the insert400 provides sufficient stability to disc-shaped objects in a container.The area, as previously described, can be fixed between 5% and 65% ofthe area defined by the ring. For insert 400, the members 404 can alsobe configured to deform elastically. In such embodiments, the members404 can be configured to operate essentially as springs. That is, eachof the members 404 can be configured to have one or more curved or bentportions between the ring 402 and the contact surface 406. Accordingly,when a force is exerted on the contacting surface 406, the members 404are elastically compressed.

In some embodiments, how the members 404 compress can be further definedusing seams 412 and 414, which can be formed via thickness reduction aspreviously described for insert 300. However, seams 412 and 414 can alsobe naturally formed by bends or points in the members 404 associatedwith a change in direction. For example, the curvature of the members404 result in seams 412 and 414 without thinning. Regardless of how theseams 412, 414 are formed, in response to a force exerted on thecontacting surface 406, the members 404 are compressed along the seams412, 414. The result of compressing insert 400 is shown in FIGS. 4C and4D. In the compressed configuration, the length of the member is reducedby the compression (L2<L1). This also can result in energy being storedin the compressed member 404. Therefore, once force is no longer appliedto the contacting insert, the stored energy in the compressed members404 can return the insert 400 to its non-deformed configuration.

As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4D, the compression of members 404 can resultin at least a portion of the members 404 moving in a direction 416.Unchecked, the portion of the members 404 moving could eventuallycontact the surface of a disc-shaped object below the insert 400. Aspreviously described, the amount of contact between a packing insert andthe disc-shaped objects can be limited. For example, as shown in FIG.4D, the ring 402 can have an increased thickness or height (X) so thatif even when members 404 are fully compressed, the portion of themembers 404 and the rings 402 overlapping is still less than the ringheight (X).

In some embodiments, further stability can be provided for thecontacting surface 406 by incorporating an upper support ring into thecontacting surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the void regions418 can be limited such that an edge of the void regions does notcoincide with the contacting surface. In such embodiments, the result isan upper support ring 420 around the periphery of the contacting surface406. This support ring provides additional stiffness to the contact area406, resulting in a reduced possibility of compression of the packinginsert 400 due to warping of the contacting surface 406 under pressure,rather than compression of the members 404.

However, the present invention is not limited to deforming the packinginsert based solely on compression or deflection of members extendingfrom a ring. In some embodiments, the contacting surface 406 can alsodeform under an applied force. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, inembodiments without the upper support ring 420 (i.e., the edges of thevoids 418 coincide with the contacting surface 406) and with asufficient number of members (at least 8) or member stiffness, pressureon the contacting surface can cause the contacting surface 406 andadjacent portions of the members 404 to deform prior to significantdeformation of the members 404 or deformation along any seams 412, 414.

Although various types of materials can be used for constructing thepacking insert, the selected materials can depend on type of disc-shapedobjects being used. For example, in the case of semiconductor waferselectrically and chemically inactive materials can be used, such aspolymers including polypropylene and PFA, can be used. However, theamount of force needed for the deformation of the package inserts 300,400, and 500 can be vary based on the materials used. Thus, as thenecessary securing force varies or the strength of the disc-shapedobjects varies, different materials can be selected. For example, ifgreater force is needed to secure and stabilize disc-shaped objectsbeing shipped, materials can be selected having a greater stiffness.Accordingly, the amount of force needed to deform the packing insertsand the amount of force exerted by the packing inserts on thedisc-shaped objects is increased. In contrast, for more brittle objects,a lesser amount of force can be required.

In cases where the packing inserts are integrally formed, stiffness canbe varied by adjusting the cross-sectional area of the various portionsof the inserts. For example, in insert 400, the cross-sectionalthickness of the contacting surface 406 and the members 404 can beadjusted separately to adjust of the stiffness of each component.Accordingly the total amount of deformation can also be adjusted asneeded. Additionally, the cross-sectional area of the ring portions ofinserts 300 and 400 can also be adjusted to determine the amount offorce per unit area applied to the disc-shaped objects. For example, formore brittle objects, the force may be distributed over a relativelylarger area by increasing a cross-sectional area of the ring portion ofinserts 300 and 400.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample only, and not limitation. Numerous changes to the disclosedembodiments can be made in accordance with the disclosure herein withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention.

These are but a few examples. Accordingly, the breadth and scope of thepresent invention should not be limited by any of the above describedembodiments. Rather, the scope of the invention should be defined inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described with respectto one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modificationswill occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading andunderstanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. Inparticular regard to the various functions performed by the abovedescribed components (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), theterms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe suchcomponents are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, toany component which performs the specified function of the describedcomponent (e.g., that is functionally equivalent), even though notstructurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs thefunction in the herein illustrated exemplary implementations of theinvention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention mayhave been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations,such feature may be combined with one or more other features of theother implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any givenor particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms“including”, “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, or variants thereofare used in either the detailed description and/or the claims, suchterms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term“comprising.”

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the following claims.

1. A container for semiconductor wafers, comprising: a base; an upwardlyopen hollow cylindrical structure supported on the base and defining acavity with a generally planar bottom for receiving a given maximumnumber of stacked wafers circumferentially restrained therein; a topcover removably attached to the base and over the cylindrical structure,the cover providing a generally planar top for the cavity; a pluralityof disk shaped objects having an outer diameter, wherein the outerdiameter of the disk shaped objects is equal to or less than the innerdiameter of the cavity; and a single vertically deformable packinginsert including: a) an outer diameter and an inner diameter, thevertically deformable packing insert being dimensioned to providesupport to dampen both a horizontal and a vertical motion of the givennumber of stacked wafers that generally matches a circumferential marginof a top surface of a wafer received in the cavity; b) a circularportion having an outer diameter less than the inner diameter of thecavity, the circular portion being dimensioned to provide support anddampen both the horizontal and the vertical motion of the given numberof stacked wafers through contact with an outer circumference of thegiven number of stacked wafers; c) a plurality of deformable cantileverportions respectively extending vertically and radially inwardly atcircumferentially spaced positions at the circular portion, wherein thecantilever portions are only coupled to one another at the circularportion, and an end of each deformable cantilever portion contacts theunderside of the top cover; wherein the circular portion and thecantilever portions being dimensioned and configured so that thevertically deformable packing insert will elastically compress or expandin a vertical direction to at least vertically restrain the stackedwafers within the cavity, contacting only a top disk shaped object ofthe plurality of disk shaped objects, wherein the top disk shaped objectis itself in contact with topmost wafer of the stacked wafers therein,and a bottom disk shaped object in contact with a bottom wafer, thebottom disk shaped object also in contact with the base.
 2. Thecontainer of claim 1, wherein the circular portion and cantileverportions are formed as a single integral packing insert unit.
 3. Thecontainer of claim 2, wherein the integral packing insert unit comprisesa polymer material.
 4. The container of claim 1, wherein the singlevertically deformable packing insert includes circumferentially spacedvoids between the cantilever portions.
 5. The container of claim 1,wherein a disk shaped object of the plurality of disk shaped objects isfurthermore inserted between each wafer of the wafer stack.